Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.
Henry Ford
I got to the farm on May the 28th so I have been here a little over four months now. Wow! I was thinking about that the other day and how fast time has gone by these last four months. When I first arrived, we were planting almost every day all day. Soon after that we were putting up racks and pulling out the wash table and getting boxes washed up and ready to be packed with fresh produce. Those first few weeks of the summer share included a lot of lettuces and tasty spring greens. Before I could say Farmer Norm the summer veggies were coming in. When we reached week four and five the summer squash was ready for harvest and we were picking raspberries almost every day. Then came things like tomatoes and eggplant and you could tell by the length of the day and the heat of the afternoons that this was our prime time. The harvest seemed endless and the boxes were difficult to close after packing. Oh and plus watching the van drive away early Thursday morning with its back wheels really close to hitting the wheel wells was really a sight to see. Then as soon as the high time started it ended. The days began to shorten with the harvest of things like potatoes and now two weeks of winter squash, great fall and storage veggies. This is the time that we kind of think about getting ready for winter and what kinds of things we need to put away for storage, both food and house hold items. In your boxes you have now gotten a couple weeks of potatoes and two weeks of winter squash – both will keep for a while just by putting them in a dark dry place. You have also been getting cucumbers, green beans a couple weeks ago and roma tomatoes which are all great to can; making things like sauces with the roma tomatoes and pickles with the cucumbers. We here at Earth Dance Farm are also preparing for the cold winter to come. The barn is being tidied up in preparation of having tractors and other vehicles parked in it; the jars of tomatoes dot the shelf’s in the kitchen wherever they can find room; and the fields are slowly starting to be straightened up and things like tomato stakes and clips are being brought inside. It’s hard to believe that there are only two more weeks after this week and it will be the end of summer share 2013. It feels like just yesterday I was stepping on the farm for the first time. I hope everyone has enjoyed this summer as much as I have so far. It has been great fun getting all of that produce to you guys.
Farmer Notes
- It is crazy that we have cucumbers and basil yet in October
- We received 5 inches of rain last week – drip tape can be stored
- Thanks to everyone who joined us on the farm for our fall party
- We have 500 pumpkins in the field. Families, daycares etc. from Olmsted and Fillmore counties can come out and pick for free
- Farmer’s choice is Roma tomatoes or cucumbers
- Winter squashes, especially acorn and butternut, become sweeter after several weeks of storage
- Collard greens are the vegetable of the week
- Apples are Regent this week and can be eaten as is or baked in pies, sauce etc.
- Kohlrabi is beautiful and tasty raw or baked/sautéed
- Don’t let fresh veggies end in October…..Sign up for the Fall Share
- Wash all of your produce please
Link to: Produce list-notes-recipes
